The lab exploded. My wife spent the night giving blood to one of her male students. And I filed for divorce. Everyone who knew us knew that my wife, Dr. Elena Hayes, loved me more than life itself. The director of the Institute and her colleagues all came to talk me down. "Steve, it was just a blood donation. She was saving a life. That's a good thing. You're going to throw your marriage away over that?" "You two have such a strong bond. A divorce? It'll kill her!" And they were right. Elena loved me enough to die for me. When that lab exploded years ago, she was the one who shielded me with her own body. I walked away without a scratch. She suffered a severe concussion and almost didn't wake up. But all I said, my voice flat and cold, was, "We either go to the courthouse, or we let the lawyers handle it." 01 My words struck Elena like a physical blow. Her face, already pale from the blood donation, turned a ghostly white. Still, she forced herself to stand, reaching for my hand. "Steve, please, try to understand. Leo just got out of critical condition. I couldn't just stand by and let him die." She moved closer, and the sterile, antiseptic smell clinging to her made my stomach turn. I shoved her away. "Don't touch me." She stumbled backward, catching her heel and falling to the floor with a muffled cry of pain. I watched, unmoved, as she lay there, a sheen of sweat on her forehead from the pain. But she didn't blame me. She just looked up at me, her voice deliberately soft. "Steve, I gave four hundred milliliters. I'm so dizzy... I need some soup or something to get my strength back, or I'm going to faint." I recognized the look in her eyes. It was her way of surrendering. In the past, no matter how vicious our fights, the moment she changed the subject and softened her tone, I would always calm down. This time, it only fueled my rage. I towered over her, my voice like ice. "Either you sign the divorce papers now, or you can die right here in front of me." With that, I stepped around her and headed for the bedroom. She lunged, grabbing the cuff of my pants, her voice a desperate plea. "A divorce? Just because I gave blood to a student? I swear to you, Steve, there is nothing going on between us." Her eyes were wide with confusion, as if she genuinely couldn't comprehend what she had done wrong. "Aside from our work at the Institute, we've never even spoken a word in private." I tried to pull away, but her grip was like iron. Just then, the doorbell rang. I took a deep breath, trying to shove down the frustration, and went to open it. The Institute's director and two of Elena's colleagues stood on the doorstep, holding a fruit basket and a certificate of commendation. They were here to celebrate her good deed. "Is Dr. Hayes in? We just wanted to stop by and see how she's doing." Her assistant smiled, holding out the certificate, but his gaze drifted past me and landed on the figure on the floor. His expression changed in an instant. "Dr. Hayes! Why are you on the floor?" He rushed past me to help her, carefully taking her arm. Seeing her disheveled state, he turned on me, his voice sharp with anger. "Mr. Hayes, what is wrong with you? Dr. Hayes is weak from giving blood. Why didn't you help her up?" I let out a cold laugh, leaning against the doorframe. "Help her? Why would I help a cheating woman?" The assistant's face flushed with rage. "How dare you!" he sputtered. "Leo was injured conducting an experiment for the team! He's still in a coma! Dr. Hayes was the only one with his rare blood type. Was she supposed to just let a student die? The entire Institute can vouch for them—their relationship is purely professional!" The director frowned, his disapproval of me obvious. "Mr. Hayes, couples should talk through their problems, not throw around baseless accusations. Dr. Hayes's actions are a model for the entire Institute. This kind of behavior is... unseemly." They were all protecting her. I was shaking with a rage so profound it felt like it would tear me apart. "I don't give a damn about what's 'unseemly'! I want a divorce!" I yelled. "And if she won't sign, I'll go to the Institute every single day and make a scene until she can't stand it anymore!" The director and his colleagues exchanged uneasy glances, whispering among themselves. "Do you think the explosion all those years ago... did something to his mind? He's become so unhinged, like a madman..." My body went rigid. The memories I had fought so hard to bury came rushing back. The blinding flash, the searing heat, and Elena, holding me, shielding me. Elena's voice, laced with concern, cut through the haze. "Steve, it's over. Don't think about it. I'll always protect you." "Shut up!" I snapped. I strode over to her and, ignoring her shocked gasp, ripped the wedding ring from her finger. The director could no longer contain himself. He grabbed my arm, pulling me back. "Steve Hayes, you've gone too far! Dr. Hayes saved your life! Not only are you ungrateful, but you're repaying her kindness with this cruelty? Take our advice. Drop this talk of divorce. Now." 02 Seeing that my expression remained a cold mask, the director’s patience finally wore thin. "Mr. Hayes," he said, his tone scolding, "you have no evidence. What right do you have to suspect an affair?" The others chimed in, their voices a chorus of condemnation. But then, Elena raised a hand, cutting them off. "That's enough. This is my family's business. It's not your place to interfere." They all stared, stunned. They couldn't believe she was still defending me. Her assistant stomped his foot in frustration. "Dr. Hayes, what are you doing? He's the one being unreasonable! We're on your side!" "I said, leave." Elena's gaze swept over them, her voice now hard and unyielding. "He is my husband. No one else gets a say." There was nothing more they could do. Fuming, they left. Elena let out a sigh of relief and turned to me, her voice soft again. "Steve, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have given blood to Leo without talking to you first. I promise, I'll never speak to him again. As long as you don't divorce me, you can punish me however you want. Hit me, scream at me, I'll take it." I turned away, deliberately avoiding her eyes. "Do you remember my first year at the lab? Leo spilled diluted acid on my hand during an experiment. You were so worried. You said you'd never let him near me again." I paused. "Now you're saving his life. Tell me, shouldn't I want a divorce?" The color drained from her face. Her eyes darted around the room as she stammered, "I… I remember now. But it was an emergency, I forgot. I promise, Steve, I will keep my distance from him." Just then, my phone rang. "Hello? I'll be right down." Downstairs, my friend was waiting in his car. He handed me a package from the passenger seat. I took it, and tears immediately welled in my eyes. A few minutes later, after I'd wiped my face, I saw the director's car pull back up. The door flew open, and the assistant grabbed my arm, his voice frantic. "Mr. Hayes, come with us! Quickly! Dr. Hayes collapsed from blood loss!" When I didn't move, his panic turned to anger. "You left the door open when you left! A neighbor saw her on the floor and called an ambulance! She's in the emergency room right now! You have to go see her!" The director stepped forward, his tone pleading. "Steve, please. She just gave blood. Her body is weak. This could be serious." A cold smile touched my lips. "If I go to the hospital, the only thing I'll be talking about is the divorce. Aren't you afraid I'll just push her over the edge?" The director was speechless with rage, pointing a trembling finger at me. He gave the assistant a look, and together, they practically dragged me into the car. We had just reached her hospital room when a nurse came rushing out. "Who is Steve Hayes? The patient in the next room, Mr. White, is awake and is demanding to see an Steve Hayes." The assistant pointed at me, and the nurse grabbed my arm, pulling me into the room. Leo White sat up in bed, his face pale, an IV line in his arm. The moment he saw me, his expression grew urgent. 03 "Steve," Leo said, his voice earnest and desperate. "I woke up and my classmates told me what happened. That you and Dr. Hayes are fighting because of me." He looked me straight in the eye. "I swear on my life, there is nothing between me and Dr. Hayes but a professional, student-teacher relationship. I have never had a single improper thought about her!" He glanced down at the burn scars on his arms and gave a bitter smile. "But you don't have to worry anymore, Steve. My parents heard about my accident. They don't want me in research anymore. They're flying in from overseas the day after tomorrow to take me abroad to study something else." I opened my mouth, but swallowed the words that were about to come out. The director and the assistant, who had followed me in, looked immensely relieved. They had expected a shouting match and had come to intervene. They never imagined it would be resolved so peacefully. The director shot me a disapproving look. "Well, Mr. Hayes. You got what you wanted. Can we assume this nonsense is over now?" The assistant added quickly, "That was all you were worried about, right? It's settled. So you can stop this talk about divorce." Just as he finished speaking, Elena, ignoring a nurse's protests, burst into the room. Her face lit up when she saw me. "Steve! I heard you came to see me." Seeing the joy on her face, I shattered her hope without a second thought. "See you?" I scoffed. "I came to get my divorce." Her smile froze, and her face went chalk-white. The assistant, his own face turning purple with rage, steadied her and yelled at me, "I can't take this anymore! How far are you going to push this?!" The director stood by, watching Elena, waiting for her to finally snap. After all this, even he, a stranger, was at his limit. Surely she would be furious. But her reaction shocked everyone. Elena pushed the assistant away and staggered forward, her voice raw. "Steve, as long as you don't divorce me, I'll do anything you ask!" The room fell silent. Ignoring the stares, she tried to find common ground, her voice gentle. "Steve, what's that you're holding?" I laughed, a harsh, broken sound. Then I turned and ran. I ran for the stairwell, for the roof. Standing on the edge of the twenty-story building, I looked down at Elena as she followed, her face a mask of terror. My heart hardened. I screamed, my voice tearing from my throat, "Elena, if you don't agree to this divorce, I'll jump from here right now!" 04 The director gave me a look of utter disgust and turned to his assistant. "Call the police! Tell them we have a lunatic threatening to jump. And call his family. Get them here. Now." He sighed, looking at Elena, who was on her knees, begging me to come down. "What has happened to them? It's like they're two different people." Minutes later, the police, my parents, and my mother-in-law arrived. The moment my mother saw me on the ledge, her legs gave out, and she collapsed. "Steve! Get down from there! Whatever it is, you can tell me! Don't do something you'll regret!" she sobbed. "Is it something with Elena? We can fix it!" My mother-in-law shoved Elena forward, her voice trembling with panic. "You must have done something to hurt him! Apologize! Don't let him do this!" I stared at their frantic faces, and two weeks of pent-up misery threatened to overflow. I opened my mouth to speak. But the assistant cut in, his voice cold. "Ma'am, I know it's not my place, but I can't stand by and watch him torture Dr. Hayes like this." He recounted the events of the past few days, word for word, without exaggeration. My parents' faces darkened. My mother-in-law's expression hardened into a furious mask. "Steve! How far are you going to take this?!" she yelled at me. "There is nothing going on between Elena and that student! I would stake my life on it!" I clenched my fists. "I'll take it all the way to a divorce!" My mother, helped to her feet, screamed at me, her voice shaking. "You get down here right now! You've had it too good for too long! How has Elena ever wronged you? She saved your life, you ungrateful brat! You would be dead if not for her!" Elena, pale and tearful, cried out, "Steve, if you're worried about me working with other men, I'll quit my job tomorrow! I'll stay home with you every day. I'll never speak to another man again!" She was already reaching for her phone to type her resignation. Suddenly, my mother-in-law lunged through the crowd like a madwoman, rushing towards me. Before I could react, she slapped me hard across the face. I teetered on the edge, almost falling. She pointed a finger in my face, her voice a sharp shriek. "My daughter worked her entire life to get to where she is! Who are you to destroy her career?! She saved your life, and this is how you repay her? You're a monster!" I wiped a smear of blood from my lip and looked at my mother-in-law, shielding Elena behind her. And I started to laugh. "Saved me?" I turned and screamed at Elena, a raw, hysterical sound. "Why didn't you die in that explosion! You liar!" My mother rushed forward to grab me, but I threw her off. "Steve Hayes!" she shrieked, trembling with fury. "Don't push your luck! Get down here before this gets completely out of hand!" I saw the police officers moving closer and suddenly felt a strange calm wash over me. "But I want it to get out of hand." My mother-in-law clutched her chest and stumbled towards the police, sobbing. "Officer! He's insane! He's mentally ill! Take him to a psychiatric hospital! Don't let him hurt my daughter anymore!" An officer, having been briefed on the situation, gently supported her, looking at me with confusion. "Mr. Hayes, if you want a divorce, we can help mediate. But you can't use your own life as a bargaining chip. Please, come down. We're here to help." At the officer's words, my mother-in-law's voice rose to a scream. "I don't agree to a divorce! A divorce would be an admission that my daughter did have an affair! He needs to make a public apology and clear my daughter's name!" The assistant added with a sneer, "Exactly. He can't just cause all this chaos and then walk away with a divorce. It's not that simple." Seeing my mother-in-law's unyielding stance, I calmly held out the package I'd been clutching. She took it hesitantly. She glanced at it for only a second, and the color drained from her face. Her lips trembled. "Fine," she choked out. "This divorce is happening. Now!"
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